As the tennis off-season finally offers players a break from the sport’s relentless grind, Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion who ended her Asian swing early due to illness, has been enjoying a calmer rhythm back home in Bromley, London, where she feels “settled.” Yet while she enjoys the simple freedom of commuting again, the Brit has criticised the media, saying their behaviour has begun to creep her out, particularly after the infamous Dubai Open incident in February.

Speaking to reporters at the National Tennis Centre, where she has begun her pre-season training, Raducanu shared how she feels now. “Honestly, I have gotten over it,” she said. The 23-year-old had been left in tears during a match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February after spotting a man in the crowd who had ‘exhibited fixated behaviour.’

It later became clear that the man had followed her to four straight tournaments. Dubai police gave him a restraining order. Even then, he still attempted to buy Wimbledon tickets.

The day before Raducanu saw him in Dubai, he had approached her in a coffee shop. He gave her a letter and asked for a photograph. The sequence of events left her shaken.

Raducanu also admitted she has felt unsettled by paparazzi taking photos without her noticing. 

“What did creep me out was I saw a photo of myself in London, and I didn’t see the paps [paparazzi]. I was with my two best friends,” she said. She explained that the image sparked a tabloid article claiming she had a new boyfriend. “But it’s literally my best friend’s brother,” she added.

She continued to express her frustration. “I was like: ‘Come on, guys. Come on. Be better. This is not [true].’ I was with my best friend’s brother, and we were going to the rugby. And of course, they cropped my best friend out. It was just me and this guy, and I just didn’t see the paps. So that’s obviously creepy.”

Raducanu said the experience made her pause. “You know, when you’re like: ‘I didn’t see them. How did they take this photo?’ But other than that, I feel good because someone’s always watching my back.”

The stalking continued even when she visited England’s national rugby union team at their Bagshot training centre before their match against New Zealand.

And along with this, she also described how it feels when she goes unrecognised during her rush hour commute in Bromley.

Emma Raducanu shocks fans by commuting unnoticed despite massive fame

Emma Raducanu has been enjoying her daily trips from Bromley, Kent, to Central London on overground and underground trains. She uses public transport not just for training but also to meet friends and visit top-class restaurants in the city.

Despite being the world’s 29th-ranked player, she is rarely noticed by commuters during busy rush hours. Her face is often seen on huge billboards during Wimbledon, and her 2021 US Open win was watched by more than nine million people.

Raducanu, 23, said, “I’ve been part of rush hour every day, which has also been an experience. But it’s like my switch off. As soon as I get on the South Western (Railway) to Waterloo, I’m just like, my day is done now.”

She added, “Sometimes people recognise me. You know what’s actually funny, in rush hour, people are so locked into their worlds, they are all so zoned out, they’re not really paying attention. They’re probably not expecting to see me either.”

“I have my hood up or whatever, but they’re just so focused and absorbed in their own worlds. It’s all so crazy. Like the haste in which everyone’s walking around. It’s like everyone’s on a mission. You have to get the elbows out, just to get through,” she said.

Raducanu continued, “I’m like, okay, if people see me on the tube, it’s not a bad thing. If people recognise me, and they want to come up to me, then that’s great, but I don’t necessarily feel like I’m hiding from anything anymore.”

The next time she competes, Raducanu will play alongside her old friend Draper in the United Cup. The mixed-gender international team event kicks off the season in Australia.

Before that, she begins an intense pre-season block this week in Barcelona with Francisco Roig. The focus will be on building on the solid foundations she established in 2025.

Her goal is to improve the quality of her shotmaking and start closing the gap between herself and the very best players in the world, starting from the AO.